<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Dandelion by fuzzyhorse</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29774370">The Dandelion</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzzyhorse/pseuds/fuzzyhorse'>fuzzyhorse</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Mandalorian (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Din Djarin is such a softie, F/M, Fluff, Himbo Din Djarin, One Shot, Soft Din Djarin, din djarin is actually a badass, discord gave me this idea, grogu is amazing, just something to hold us over</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 01:28:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,331</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29774370</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzzyhorse/pseuds/fuzzyhorse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Din has been trying to find a planet to take you to, but every time it's a fail. So when he takes you to Naboo, it turns out to be a perfect surprise. But what could be better than taking you somewhere you've never been?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Din Djarin/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Dandelion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He had seen it on his way back from the market, sitting there in the middle of a field of the most beautiful grass you’d ever laid your eyes on. The two of you had spent the day exploring Naboo after he promised to take you somewhere you’d never been before. The wide, expansive grasslands had been the perfect place to land outside of Theed so you both could explore the beauty this planet had to offer. Din had promised to take you on an adventure - to give you a true experience unlike any other and he wanted to do that more than anything. The only problem was he really had no idea where to start. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had taken you to Coruscant in the hopes that you’d like to see a planet that was literally the exact opposite of where you came. But you’d come from Tatooine, a planet almost entirely covered in nothing but sand with little to no population between the two main towns. So when you stepped off the Razorcrest onto the platform and almost off the edge, you had a full-blown panic attack. The poor guy didn’t even know what happened when you suddenly hit the deck and started bawling. He picked you up, holding you close to his chest while he covered your eyes with his cape to help shield you from the surrounding views. He felt awful and spent several hours consoling you with soothing back rubs in the back of the crest while you held the child close to your chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His next idea was to take you Endor to meet a village of Ewok’s that he had helped a few cycles back and had a good relationship with. He figured if you liked Grogu, seeing other small fuzzy beings would be perfect. Endor would be a change from your home planet, a different atmosphere altogether with new and exciting things that you’d probably never seen before. But that came to a screeching halt when you both arrived at the now-abandoned village and he discovered that they had been attacked just prior to your arrival - it was just too heartbreaking for you. You cried, really more </span>
  <em>
    <span>wailed</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the entire walk back to the Crest and you were just completely inconsolable. He tried comforting you but you’d just yelled at him, asking him over and over “why would you bring me here?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he was completely at a loss. Unable to think of anything for over three months. Every time he thought he had come up with a grand idea, he thought of ten reasons why it wouldn’t work. Just the idea of upsetting you hurt his heart too much to even try again. Until one day he overheard you talking to Grogu about how you imagined a field of grass looked and thought maybe it would look similar to an ocean or lake. You’d read about them in a book back home, but having come from a mostly waterless planet, you’d never seen it. So he decided to make the trip to Naboo and show you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When you had gotten close to being within orbit, he decided to come down and give you the surprise. He always admired watching you with the child. You had such a way with him and the way that kid looked at you - just did </span>
  <em>
    <span>things</span>
  </em>
  <span> to him. It was like you held the entire galaxy in your eyes. He knew exactly how Grogu felt when he looked at you because he felt the same way every time he looked at you. It took the breath out of him when he would look behind him and you’d be sitting in the chair, the stars streaking the ship in hyperspace and your sleepy face would just be lit up by nothing by the sky as you silently rocked the pod while the child slept.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he came down the ladder from the cockpit and found you there talking to him, it just hit him all at once. Have you ever had one of those moments that you wish you could just capture and save forever? Well, this was one of those for him. You sit there with your hair pulled up tight above your head, wearing those shorts you had made from a pair of his old pants and a t-shirt that he let you borrow after your first week on the crest. You looked at home. He crossed his legs and leaned back against the wall, simply watching and soaking up the moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You sat with your back to Din completely unaware of his presence as you talked to the cooing child, “- with the wind blowing, it’ll look like waves of an ocean,” you wiggled your hand in a waving motion in front of the child. Grogu giggles, the sound warming your heart. Din watched the way you talked to him, completely enamored with the two of you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The child cooed, reaching his hands up for your face as you took one of his hands and pressed a gentle kiss on the inside of his palm. You loved this little green rascal like he was your flesh and blood. There were times when you’d wait for Din to return from a hunt and you’d stand there with Grogu in your arms at the door to the Razorcrest, wistfully looking out for any sign of shiny beskar on the horizon and just silently wonder to yourself, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>how did I get so damn lucky to end up with all of this?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Back home, sometimes when the wind blew the sand around it would ripple like waves. I think that’s what it would be called at least. Have you ever seen them my love?” you asked the child as he giggled. You swayed him back and forth, his eyes growing heavy. An afternoon nap was coming soon for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’d imagine not. Not in this lifetime anyway,” you smiled, tucking his blanket around him as you placed him back in his pod. Din watched as he yawned, his eyes drifting lower and lower before finally drifting shut. He came up behind you and touched your shoulder gently as not to startle you and nodded over his shoulder towards the cockpit ladder. You looked back at the now sleeping child and directed his pod to a safe spot at the bottom of the stairs to where he could be heard if he woke and followed Din up the ladder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So I have a surprise for you,” he whispered through his helmet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought I told you, no more surprises. Not after the last one, I don’t think my heart can take any more of them…” you whispered that last part, heart squeezing for the village of Ewoks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I promise, this time I got it right,” he rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly shy of this impromptu pitstop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Din…” you pause, unsure of this but sensing his sudden hesitation you soften and sigh, “Din, where are you taking me?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I promise, little bird. You’re going to love this one. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen and it’s going to be so spectacular and you’re just going to have to trust me and I promise I won’t me-” he’s completely rambling at this point. You laugh, slowly and quietly at first but then it breaks out into a full-blown, stomach clutching laughter. You can’t contain it - he’s just being so adorable. Here’s this man who is just a full-blown Mandalorian. You’ve watched people move out of his way, intentionally cross the street to avoid him because he’s just so </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrifying,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and yet here he is in front of you, stammering and rambling because he’s afraid to disappoint you. It’s one of the sweetest things you’ve ever seen, apart from Grogu of course. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You wipe a stray tear from your eye and reach out to his arm and pull him closer. Placing your hands on either side of his helmet, you pull him closer and place a gentle kiss on the top of his helmet - something that you have done frequently since the two of you have become so close. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh darling, I have no doubt it will be.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-------</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>By the time you land on Naboo, Din had worked himself up into a complete nervous sweat while you had dozed off in the second-pilots chair behind him. He kept checking on you just to make sure you were fully asleep, just in case he decided when he did land he wanted to abort the </span>
  <em>
    <span>mission</span>
  </em>
  <span> and figure out a new plan. He loved watching you sleep that he almost regretting waking you when you finally had landed. But the excitement in your eyes made it all worth it when he had shaken your shoulder and told you that you had arrived. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of you stood at the door of the door as the platform slowly lowered down. Your excitement slowly bubbling over as you shift the child from one hip to the other. The pod comes up beside you and you place Grogu safely inside it as the sun peeks out over the edge of the ramp. Din looks at you, the sun slowly lowering over your face as it comes through the trees. He’s admiring the way the golden light caresses over your features, highlighting over the softest parts of your skin. He would never admit it out loud to you but right there at that moment, you completely owned every part of him. It took his breath completely away - the little way you danced when you got excited, the way your body couldn’t contain its own energy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the door was firmly on the ground, your breath hitched in your throat. Din had gotten one thing right, he completely nailed this. The view in front of you was unlike anything you’d ever seen - but it was one of the most spectacular things he’d ever shown you. You looked to him and caught him staring at you and the grin that spread across your face was so wide you’d swear you felt your face cracking. Your feet move so quickly as bound out down the ramp and into the thick, lush grass below you that you almost trip and fall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your hand reached out to feel the blades running softly through your fingers and it was the most unusual feeling in the world. It made you giggle, softly at first, but then louder and with such happiness. This was the best gift he could’ve given you, just on the grass alone. You whirled around to see Din standing at the edge of the ramp with his arms crossed just staring at you. At first, you thought he was mad, but then you see him shake his head and run after you, the pod following closely behind. Grogu’s giggles can be heard in his pod behind you as Din chases you and grabs you around the waist, picking you up over his shoulder and running through the grass with you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Din! Oh my god! Put me down!” you laugh and scream, pounding on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not going to happen little bird!” a modulated laugh comes out. He carries you around, swinging you in a circle before dropping you and falling to the ground with you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You look at him, breathless before glancing around, fulling taking in the incredible world around you. It's unlike anything you've ever seen with him. The range of colors, the smell of the earth, the sounds of the grass blowing in the wind...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Din I can’t believe this place! It’s incredible!” You smile, reaching up and placing a hand on his helmet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve just seen the first 30 feet from the Crest. This is nothing compared to the lake,” he scoots up closer to you, pulling you up to his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your head snaps up in excitement, “there’s water?!” you practically shout. “Sorry, but there’s water? Can we go see it?” You're practically jumping out of yourself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, if that’s what you’d like to do,” he sits up, looking back at you. You hop to your feet, brushing off your pants and waiting for him to lead you. You hold your hand out, his immediately finding yours as he starts to lead you in a direction away from the Crest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of you walk for about an hour, the sun slowly moving closer and closer to the horizon but not quite setting. You come up over a hill and out sprawls the most massive lake you’ve ever seen. In fact, it’s the only lake you’ve ever seen, but it fills your field of view further than anything you’d ever seen except for the sand dunes back home. It’s so incredible - it actually makes you cry. Something that you’ve been doing a lot of lately apparently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no, Maker - shit - did I r-ruin this, d-did I fu-fuck th-is up a-gain?” he stutters out, hands shaking as he takes your head in his hands and brushes your tears from your cheeks. You look up at him, grasping his hands with yours, and just smile, gasping softly as you put your forehead to his chest while he pulls you in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maker, no Din. This is the most spectacular thing you’ve ever given me,” you whisper, wiping your tears away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulls back, looking at you again, “r-really?” Maker, he sounds so insecure and unsure of himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Undoubtedly, yes. If you took your helmet off right here, right now, I’d kiss the shit out of you for this,” you laughed, knowing how silly your half-assed request was. But he surprises you when he says, “close your eyes.” So you do, and you feel him slip just the bottom of his face from his helmet and softly kiss you, pulling you in close. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your hands reach up to feel the soft curls of his hair when you deepen the kiss slightly before he pulls away and quickly readjusts his helmet. “You’re safe to open your eyes little bird,” you hear the modulation and open your eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I touch it?” you ask shyly, not wanting him to say no, but desperately hoping he says yes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he grabs your hand, pulling you towards the beach edge, “lets go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You sprint past him, giggling the entire time. You stop at the edge of the beach, realizing it’s sand. You shake your head, confused. Looking over your shoulder at Din, “sand?” you ask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s what’s at the bottom of all the water. Just sand,” he holds your hand tightly. You take a moment, curiously thinking back to your home planet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Din, do you think Tatooine was once covered in water?” you ask. He pauses, probably because he doesn’t have a good answer for you. He knows how hard it was for you to leave home, but how desperately you wanted off that rock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe thousands of cycles ago, sure. I imagine there was water there somewhere. Not like it is now though,” he squeezed your hand in reassurance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish they had it now. Water, I mean. My parents wouldn’t have had to die for it,” you whisper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey now, little bird,” he pulls you in close, resting your head against his chest, “if there’s anyone that knows that kind of loss better than anyone, it’s me. They didn’t have a choice to give you to that trader. He had a choice to sell you, but they didn’t have a choice. You hear me?” he pulls you back so your head is between his hands. He wipes a tear that has escaped from your eye with his thumb before pulling you back in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know Din, I know. I just wish -” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s no point in wishing, it won’t change the past. The only thing you can do is move forward. And last I remembered, you were a girl that wanted to stick her toes in the water.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk back to the Crest was slow and unrushed. After your moment together at the water, you both just want to enjoy each other and be here in the now. You daydream, gazing off at the sun that’s finally setting and displaying a brilliant palette of orange, red, and violet. The moons becoming visible but only slightly as Din points them out to you while you walk. You check on Grogu periodically but mostly just talk to each other as you walk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You talk about your home in comparison to Naboo, the difference between the feeling of the beach sand here and the sand on Tatooine. You ask Din about his home and where he grew up - </span>
  <em>
    <span>He doesn’t remember much</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You talk more about how incredible Naboo is - </span>
  <em>
    <span>Din thinks you’re the best part of Naboo</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You ask Din about where his favorite place he's traveled - </span>
  <em>
    <span>He says everywhere, but when he went to Arvala-7 and Tatooine.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Along the way, you pick some strands of grass, three long pieces, and braid them into a long strand to save in your book that Din bought you back in Coruscant. You have all kinds of scraps of things you've collected - papers, flowers, feathers, little bits and pieces from different planets just to show that you've been there. It's like the opposite of making your mark on the universe, you want the universe to make it's mark on you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Din knows this about you - it's why he bought you that book. Someplace for you to keep everything. It meant so much that he was in the middle of a bounty hunt and saw this rather random-looking journal and decided to spend his credits on it just for you. He had taken a detour and carried it with him for four days while he tracked some guy in the middle of Corellia to bring it back to you. You don't think he quite realizes just how much it meant to you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At one point as you get back in view of the crest, you realize that Din isn’t at your side and you turn around looking for him only to see him chasing something in the wind. You laugh, curious about what he could possibly be up to. It’s so odd to see this side of him, this human side of him - more man than beskar. He darts around in circles, grasping at the wind when you realize he's catching something small in the air. You laugh out loud at this point, he just looks so ridiculous. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He catches you staring at him and completely looks </span>
  <em>
    <span>caught</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He stops, like an animal caught in a spotlight, and turns back to you. Standing there at your feet, he holds out the item in question. A dandelion stem, but an empty one. You look up at him, cocking your brow, and are about to ask when he holds out his other closed hand and shows you the fuzz that you assume came from the said dandelion. He hangs his head slightly before speaking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The wind… it uh, it blew it all off. But I picked it back there because I thought maybe you’d like it. But then it uh…” he trailed off, embarrassed. Your heart squeezes at the thought, unable to even grasp at how sweet this was of him. You took your hands and wrapped them around his helmet and pulled him down to your lips, kissing him on the top of the shiny beskar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love it,” you smile, pulling him to eye level. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And to this day, that stem has sat in the book he brought you back from Coruscant, drying and saved with the fluff he saved in the wind. A gentle reminder that Din is in fact, the love of your life. Despite the fact that people avoid him on the street and bounties bargain for their lives, you know that once upon a time, this man ran through a field on Naboo to catch dandelion fuzz for the girl he loved. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>find me at pascal-istheway.tumblr.com</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>